Amnesty apologises to Alexei Navalny over ‘prisoner of conscience’ status

Amnesty International has apologised to Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny and reversed a decision to stop calling him a "prisoner of conscience".

The human rights organisation took the decision earlier this year after concerns were raised about past comments he made.

In a statement, Amnesty called for Navalny's "immediate and unconditional release from prison". 

Navalny is President Vladimir Putin's most prominent critic.

He was sent to a penal colony in February after a court ruled he had broken the terms of a suspended jail term on embezzlement charges.

The 44-year-old only returned to Russia in January following treatment abroad for a near-fatal nerve agent attack. 

Navalny nearly died in August 2020 when he was poisoned with Novichock. He accuses President Vladimir Putin of ordering the poisoning, which the Kremlin denies.